Newspaper Page Text
October 29, 2008
^Reporter
PAGE 9A
Candidates spar in debate
Here’s a summary of
other comments at the
political forum in Forsyth
on Oct. 16:
In the race for tax com
missioner, Republican
Barbara Baswell touted
her experience and maturi
ty while Democrat Lori
Andrews highlighted her
efforts as deputy tax com
missioner.
Here are some comments
from Baswell, who is cur
rently the county’s chief
financial officer and had
served as county clerk:
On improving service:
Baswell said it’s important
for the tax office to present
a professional image. She
said she will expect her
staff to keep their working
areas clean and to reduce
time making personal con
versation. Asked about the
mistake that put John
Mark Cooling in the wrong
board of education district
and put him out of his race
for the school board,
Baswell said it seemed
that everything had been
done that could have been
done to do it correctly. She
said it’s important to hire
the most qualified people
to make sure those issues
are handled correctly.
On hotel tax: Asked
about collecting the
hotel/motel tax, Baswell
said she will read the
county’s new ordinance so
she’s ready to implement
that new responsibility in
Janaury. She disagreed
Andrews’ assertion that
the county commissioners’
office is currently collecting
the hotel tax. Baswell said
the county is not collecting
the hotel tax right now,
only within city of Forsyth.
Baswell said she will give
the county a tax office that
will make it proud.
Here’s what Andrews
said:
On improving service:
Andrews said the tax office
gives 100 percent customer
service to Monroe County.
She said people who move
here from other counties
always tell them their
office is so much nicer than
in the county where they
came from.
On the Cooling inci
dent: Andrews said that
the office had checked the
map and thought it was
making the right decision.
She said other people
should’ve checked on
Cooling’s residency before
the qualifying period ended
and he would have known
before it was too late. With
the registrars office being
moved out of the tax com
missioners office, Andrews
was asked if she would
still be chief registrar like
the current tax commis
sioner, Patsy Miller.
Andrews said that is up to
her if she chooses to be.
On hotel tax: Andrews
said the tax office will
start collecting the hotel
tax on Jan. 1.
The candidates for magis
trate judge, incumbent
Republican Jeff Davis and
Democrat challenger Mark
Gooslby, sparred on a num
ber of issues.
Davis, a former sheriff’s
deputy finishing his first
four-year term as magis
trate judge, said a judge is
different from any other
politician in that they have
to be impartial and follow
the law. Other comments:
On open door policy:
Davis refuted Goolsby’s
claim he will have an open
door policy, saying that
judges cannot discuss cases
without all the parties
present.
On fairness: Davis said
judges cannot bring politics
into the court, saying they
must be guided by fairness
and justice. He said it’s
important that judges fol
low the letter of the law so
people will have faith in
the justice system.
On the job: Davis said
he’s heard on the campaign
trail that the magistrate
judge doesn’t do much.
Davis said his office has
handled 2,900 civil and
criminal cases this year so
far and they don’t lack for
work.
On the race: Davis said
his filing a complaint
against Goolsby with the
Judicial Qualifications
Commission for spreading
false rumors accomplished
its intended purpose, even
though his complaint was
dismissed. Goolsby said
that he was only passing
along what he had heard,
to which Davis responded
that was exactly the prob
lem.
A county building inspec
tor, Goolsby said he was
once a constable who
served papers for former
magistrate judge Buck
Wilder and so he knows
how to deal with people.
Goolsby also served 10
years on the Monroe
County school board. He
said if he can deal wth
angry parents then he can
handle the magistrate
judge’s job.
Columns magazine pho
tographer Tim Chambliss
asked the candidates what
is more important, the let
ter or the spirit of the law.
Goolsby said both. Davis
said the letter of the law,
because without that peo
ple can’t trust the system.
District attorney Richard
Milam and challenger
Karen Martin had a spirit
ed debate. Milam, a
Republican from Jackson
running for his third term,
said he brings a wealth of
experience to the office.
Martin, a long-time attor
ney from Barnesville, said
she would bring a record of
hard work and toughness
to the office.
Here are Milam’s com
ments:
On Zapareo Glover’s
case: Milam was asked
about an earlier sentence
given to Joshua Dupree
Rounsoville, the Eatonton
20-year-old accused of
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